Other disagreements made matters worse, including rival claims to disputed gas fields and Japanese text books which China says whitewash historical atrocities.

But relations between the two countries have slowly been improving since Shinzo Abe took power in late September.

Soon after becoming prime minister, Mr Abe travelled to Beijing in an effort to improve relations.

And despite his reputation for being a hardliner, Mr Abe has so far refrained from saying if he will visit the Yasukuni shrine during his tenure.

But there are many differences that still need to be resolved.

In the recently agreed deal on North Korean disarmament, Japan has often taken a harder line than China, and has already refused to fund aid to Pyongyang due to a row about abductions of Japanese citizens.

Earlier this month, Japan protested that a Chinese ship was carrying out surveillance in a disputed area of water.